Community Recap: Crazytown Banana Pants

Before discussing this week’s episode, we must first take a dive into the cool waters of celebration, because Community got renewed for 13 episodes!!! While some may balk at the shortened season, we’re of the opinion that even a little of “The Greendale 7” is better than no Community ever again! Here are five things we learned in this week’s extra stellar ep.

1. Two months have passed since their expulsions. And Troy can COOK! Sort of...

As the episode opens, we learn that despite being bounced from Greendale over two months ago, the group still convenes regularly for potlucks. Troy makes the piece de résistance: “Bagel Bites in a deconstructed Hot Pocket reduction with a Doritos glaze.” Delish! But their get-together doesn’t last long. There’s a knock on the door. It’s the cops! With Abed!!!

2. Inspector Space Time is back!

Something must be amiss, because Abed is dressing up as Inspector Space Time again and insisting that the new dean is an impostor! He was caught going through the Greendale dumpsters when the cops brought him home. Now, he must see a therapist or the new (fake) dean will press charges. The gang defends Abed—he doesn’t need therapy! “Hey, if this were Comic-Con, I’d take a bullet for that kid,” the cop says. But it’s not. So Abed must go see a therapist...

3. The Gang is “Crazytown Banana Pants.”

Oh, wait, we knew that already—but we didn’t know to what degree. Daily Show contributor John Hodgman guest stars as therapist Dr. Heidi, who tells the gang (who all go to therapy with Abed, naturally) that Abed is too consumed with Greendale—a community college is supposed to be a mere two-year experience, and it shouldn’t be such a huge part of Abed’s life—something’s wrong with him. Then something must be wrong with the rest of us, the gang posits. Flashbacks of their crazy recent antics include Britta plunking down at their group table looking like a wildling at a rave, asking how long peyote lasts, and Troy driving a four-wheeler into a classroom because “it’s all-terrain, dummy!” OK, so maybe they all ARE a little crazy ...

4. Greendale has had some amaaaaazing classes... but they might not have been real?!

We’re not crazy, Jeff insists—Greendale is. The gang note some of the classes offered there: Advanced Breath Holding, Ladders, and Can I Fry That? to name a few. This place ain’t normal. Dr. Heidi does them one better: it doesn’t even exist! In a nod to I am the Cheese and LOST, among others, we discover that Greendale Community College is really an insane asylum, and these students have been bonded by a shared psychosis these past few years—nothing was as it seemed. In what has to be one of this series’ finest and most rewarding moments, we see what some of our favorite Community moments (including the paintball and secret trampoline episodes) looked like from the point of view of the gang as mental patients. Episodes like this are what set Community apart from other half-hour comedies. Not only has it perfected satire, becoming the very thing it skewers while remaining hilarious and original, it rewards viewers with clever nods to previous episodes in the process.

5. They love him. They really, really love him.

The gang does not accept Dr. Heidi’s diagnosis—of course Greendale is real! Annie’s wearing a Greendale backpack, and Abed has over 1,000 pics of the school in his phone! They also refuse to believe that the school is fundamentally flawed—they’ve had some decent times there. As they reflect back on the better moments (which include Dean Pelton singing to them over the intercom), something dawns on them—the dean was an integral part of every good memory they’ve had. They see just how much the cross-dressing, showtunes belting fellow in charge cares for them—and they realize they care about him, too. The gang also realizes that Dean Pelton would never expel them—he loves them too much! So Abed must be right—the new dean IS an impostor!

Is the whole asylum twist was the actual reality? Will the gang foil Chang’s evil plot? Will the real Dean Pelton live to sing again? We’ll all find out next Thursday, when Community airs its final three episodes of the season. Until then!

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About the Author

Beth Mishler is a writer, producer, and pop culture connoisseur who has a weakness for the Whedonverse and all things sci-fi. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Beth currently lives in The Plains, Ohio, where she freelances, makes documentaries, and watches a kazillion hours of TV per week while anxiously awaiting the release of George R.R. Martin's next novel.